Makes Us Stronger
by Reese M
Summary: Set in the world of What Doesn't Kill Us. Just a quick oneshot about what the future might look like for Jibbs and their family. Centered around a special day for their daughter Kennedy.


Leroy Jethro Gibbs stood at the bottom of the stairs grumbling as he checked his watch again. They had somewhere to be and if they didn't leave soon he'd have to break a few traffic laws to get there on time. Of course that was on time according to Gibbs' time, but wasn't that the only time that mattered? He checked to make sure he had his wallet and keys for the third time and then walked back to the living room to grab his sport coat off the arm of the couch. Returning to the bottom of the stairs once more he called up, "Come on people! It's time to go!"

The first one down the stairs was a fourteen year old boy. His brown hair was a little too long for Gibbs' liking and he still just shook his head at the streaks of blue the boy had dyed into it. His eyes were the same blue-green color his mother's eyes were when he wasn't trying to get away with wearing some ridiculous pair of costume contacts. Jethro looked over what he was wearing and was thankful that the boy had traded in the normal tight jeans, baggy stretched out t-shirt and hoodie for a pair of slacks, and a nice plaid shirt over a decent t-shirt. He just wished he'd take the pair of oversized headphones from around his neck. He was starting to think that they'd attached themselves to his body. He even slept with them on. He wasn't thrilled with the beanie on his head either.

"Mike." Jethro grumbled.

"What?" Michael Jasper Gibbs replied as he looked at his father.

Jethro just sighed and shook his head. It was summer break and Jenny had talked him into letting Michael get away with being a little more expressive with his appearance. He was trying, he really was, but it wasn't easy. "Nothing."

"He's probably in shock." Came a response from the landing above them. "You don't look like a Hot Topic just threw up all over you."

Mike rolled his eyes. "Well at least I don't look like I just walked off the cover of an Archie comic."

Donald Jackson Gibbs was also fourteen and looked nothing like his twin brother with the exception of his blue-green eyes. Were Mike's hair was brown like their father's before it turned silver, D.J's was red like their mother's and sister's. He was also two inches taller despite Mike being four and half minutes older. Were Mike's self expression tended to be more creative, D.J's tended to be more traditional. His hair was cut short, his nails unpainted, and he wore khakis with a royal blue button down tucked into them and an actual belt.

"Knock it off you two." Jethro warned. Now that he had his sons ready to leave he called up the stairs again. "Jen!"

"You know she's mad right?" Mike said as he grabbed his cellphone from the table in the entry where it had been charging.

Jethro groaned. "Yeah. I know."

"Seriously?" D.J. asked. "I thought she got over this."

"Guess today just rekindled it." Mike said with a shrug.

Jethro sighed, though it sounded a lot more like a growl. "You two go wait in the car. I'll get your mother."

Once the front door clicked behind the boys Jethro headed upstairs to the master bedroom. It wasn't that she was actually mad at him, he understood that. She was worried, concerned, even a little scared, and that came out as anger. Which is why he was gentle with her when he walked into their bedroom. "Jen, we're gonna be late, move your ass."

Jenny Shepard-Gibbs was just as beautiful as she'd been in Paris, just as stunning as she had been on their wedding day, and just as fierce as ever. She stood from her vanity after putting in her second earring and turned to face him. There was fire and ice in her blue-green eyes and it kept him from coming any closer. "I heard you the first fifteen times you bellowed up the stairs, Jethro."

She was wearing her red hair long, straight, with bangs, and streaked with blonde highlights these days. Jethro liked it. He liked the way it felt to run his fingers through it, and the way it looked when she took it out of a ponytail to spill over her shoulders and down her back. She was wearing a pair of gray slacks, a white top and a plaid blazer that ran from dark and light grays, to dusky reds and pinks. Jethro couldn't help but smirk as he took her in.

"Seriously Jethro?" Jenny said with a roll of her eyes, though the hint of a smirk on her own lips let him know his attention was appreciated.

"What can I say Jen?" Jethro teased. "You being pissed at me is hot."

Jenny groaned, rolled her eyes and then pushed her way past him after snatching up her purse and cellphone.

They were on the road a full ten minutes before he spoke up again. "Are you going to be pissed at me all day?"

"Yes." She replied from the passenger seat.

"Jen." He groaned and then huffed. "You know she's a big girl who made her own choices." She grumbled and growled under her breath, and he just shook his head. "She's your kid too, ya know, I can't take all the blame for this."

She shot him a look that said she damn well could and would blame him and only him for this. "Three years at Stanford and a year at Oxford and yet here we are."

"She made this choice on her own, Jen." He replied. "And you know damn well she didn't make it lightly."

"Aren't you proud of her, Mom?" D.J asked from the backseat.

Jenny looked into the rearview to meet her son's gaze and sighed softly. "Of course I am, D.J. It's not a matter of pride, I'm incredibly proud of everything your sister has accomplished."

"So what's your beef?" Mike asked as he looked up from his phone to also catch his mother's gaze in the mirror.

"I don't have beef." Jenny replied with a huff, and then sighed softly as she sank into her seat as if to pout, and then turned to look out the window. "It's just that she's my little girl."

Mike snorted. "You wouldn't think she's such a little girl if you knew what she did with girlfriend."

"Mike." Jethro barked a warning.

"What?" The boy argued. "I'm traumatized."

"You didn't actually see anything." D.J. rolled his eyes. "You're such a jerk."

"I saw enough to know she has a hippo tattoo on her…"

"I'm not telling you two again to knock it off." Jethro warned.

The rest of the ride was quite. Jenny continued to stare out the passenger side window until she saw the all too familiar sign announcing their destination. That's when she reached for her husband's hand. Neither of them said anything, Jenny didn't even turn from the window, they simply said what they needed to with a squeeze.

The morning event was on the open field which meant more room for guests, which was a good thing since their whole crew wanted to be there. It was Ducky and Abby who spotted them, waving them over to a collection of waiting seats. "Gibbs! Jen! Giblets!" Abby greeted excitedly.

"Ducky." Jenny greeted with a hug and kiss. "I'm happy to see you. How's the book coming along?"

"Wonderfully." He answered. "I've finished the first draft and would love for you to read it if you wouldn't mind. I know you've heard my stories many times before but your thoughts would be greatly appreciated."

"I would love to read your memoir Ducky." She reassured him. "I'd be honored in fact."

It had been far too long since they'd all been together like this. Work, relationships, families, all kept them busy. Kate had become invaluable to Jenny and worked more for her as Director than in the field, which Jethro wasn't happy about, but at least she was finally back in the country full time. They tried really hard to leave work at work but when Jenny had sent Kate on an extended overseas assignment Jethro was pissed for months. Thankfully it all worked out for the best. Kate got some much needed experience that would help further her career with NCIS, she met a good Scottish man named Jamie that she would eventually marry and have a child with, and the team gained Ellie Bishop as a member.

Tony and Ziva were still field agents but had cut back quite a bit following the birth of their daughter Tali. They weren't married yet but everyone was holding out hope for someday. The important thing was that they loved each other, they were good for each other, and they loved their little girl. Becoming a father had been the best thing to ever happen to Tony, and even though he was still the DiNozzo everyone knew and loved he was a lot more settled and grounded these days. Like he'd told Jenny when she offered him his own team, he was everything to Tali and she had to come first. He couldn't be everything to his little girl and be everything to a team too. As much as he'd tried to be over the years he couldn't be Gibbs.

McGee was currently the most active senior agent on Gibbs' team, which everyone found amusing. No one but Gibbs had seen it in him. Even Jenny had been uncertain when it came to Tim. She'd been happy to be proved wrong when it came to him.

"Tim, where's Delilah?" Jenny asked when he took his seat behind Abby who was sitting beside her.

"She's sorry she couldn't make it." McGee replied. "She wasn't feeling well. She really doesn't handle morning sickness well."

"No one handles morning sickness well." Jenny said with a soft laugh.

After everyone had arrived Gibbs looked at their group and asked, "If we're all here who's in the office?"

"The P Team." Tony answered while helping Tali off with her jacket.

"Stop calling them that." Ziva scolded.

"Why?" He replied. "The five of us are the A Team, everyone else are Probies, so they're the P team."

No one had the chance to reply because the speakers squeaked and squawked to life as a voice announced, "Good morning and welcome to today's Office Candidate School Graduation ceremony."

"This is it!" Abby whispered excitedly. "Giblet One is about to be a Marine!"

Jenny whimpered softly beside her. Her little girl, her baby girl, with all the options laid out in front of her, had chosen to become a Marine.

As the music began and the parade of units started marching onto the field Jenny's eyes began scanning for Kennedy. Her mind flashing back to that warm summer night on their front porch when her then nineteen year old daughter announced that after she graduated from college she was going to go to join the Marines as an officer. She'd told them that the idea had always lingered in the back of her mind and that more and more it was coming to the forefront when she thought about her future. They clearly hadn't had the same vision for her future. Jenny had always pictured something a lot safer and involved a lot less camouflage and war. But Kennedy was her daughter through and through and as time went on and they got closer to her college graduation Kennedy's passion for the idea only grew.

It was the soft but sharp intake of breath from her husband that told Jenny that Jethro had spotted her first.

He watched with so much pride as he daughter marched front and center at the head of her unit that it felt as if he were having a heart attack.

"They're all wearing the same thing." Tony teased. "How are we supposed to know which one's the Giblet?"

Ziva elbowed him. "Shut up, Tony."

Tali giggled, which is why Tony said it in the first place.

It was easy to spot her because she's the one Gibbs had his gaze locked on. He only looked away when he felt Jenny take his hand so he could look at her and smile before they both returned their focus to their daughter.

They would all meet later for a celebratory dinner but Jethro, Jenny and the boys stuck around for a second ceremony that afternoon. Kennedy had entered Officer school with her bachelor's degree which meant she would be getting her commission right away. Whether she was still pissed or not Jethro couldn't tell because as they walked into the hall she had her arms wrapped around his.

Once the class of pending officers walked in Jethro's gaze once again sought out his little girl and once he'd found her it never wavered. He could see her much better now, the hall providing a much more intimate space. She had traded in the cammies she'd worn on the parade grounds for the green service uniform. Her auburn hair was cut short, shorter than she had ever worn it in her life. Her bright blue eyes were fixed on the commanding officers that stood before them. When the class began to recite the oath his breath hitched and tears welled in his eyes as he watched her face, watched the pride and honor in her eyes, watched her lips form the words and make the promises the oath entailed.

When the class was proclaimed Second Luiatatnets in the U.S. Marine Corps. Jenny tore her gaze away from Kennedy to look at Jethro and was a little taken aback to see tears not only in his eyes but silently rolling down his cheeks. When the hall filled with the sound of the Marine hymn being sung she watched as her husband stiffened and began to sing along. She loved this man with everything she was, and if their daughter wanted to be like him then they'd raised her right, because they raised her to be like the best man Jenny had ever known. Just before the very end of the ceremony Jenny leaned closer to Jethro, raising on her toes a little to reach his ear and said, "I'm sorry, Jethro, about this morning."

"Don't be." He replied. "I understand, Jen. It worries me too."

That actually helped a lot, to know that he worried about this just as much as she did.

At the end of the ceremony Kennedy hugged and shook the hands of the men and women who were now her brothers and sisters in arms. They had come through alot together in the last twelve weeks, these were now the men and women who would have her back, and she had theirs. After promising her friends they would get together soon to celebrate she went in search of her family. She had spotted them both during the parade and in the hall, and the pride that she saw in her parents eyes nearly made her heart burst. Stepping out into the sunlight scanned the crowd of waiting families, easily spotting her mother's hair and Mike's ridiculous beanie. It took everything in her not to run to them the way she had following her college graduation ceremony, but she managed. She thought she was prepared to see them, to see him, now that it was all said and done but she wasn't. He'd left the Corps a Gunnery Sergeant, she'd just officially entered it as a Second Lieutenant. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, her father, her daddy; saluted her first.

Their matching eyes met, he stood at attention and he raised his hand in salute, she stopped walking towards them, stood at attention and returned that salute.

"Lieutenant." He greeted.

"Gunny." She replied.

She held it for a moment longer as the emotion hit them both, her eyes filling with tears as her breath hitched in her chest and then she released it, and then so did he. They continued to stare into each other's eyes until Kennedy was nearly knocked off her feet by her brothers.

Kennedy finally looked away from her father as she laughed and hugged her brothers. "Geesh did you miss me or something."

"Alright you two shoo." Jenny said as she made shooing motions at the boys. Jenny wrapped her arms around her baby girl and hugged her as hard as she could. "I'm so proud of you baby."

Kennedy relaxed in her mother's arms and sighed in relief. She'd honestly been worried about her mother's reaction. "Thanks Mom."

Once Jenny let her go, several minutes and lots of peppered kissed later, Kennedy walked over to her dad. "Hi Daddy."

"You're out of uniform." He replied.

Kennedy smiled. "I know." She said as she pulled a little zip lock bag from the pocket of her jacket. "I was hoping you and Mom would help with that."

Jethro had to swallow the lump in his throat and clear it before he said, "I'd be honored."

He and Jen pinned the single gold bar to each of her shoulders, and then he pinned the third to her cap before placing it on her head. "You have no idea how proud…"

He didn't get to finish what he was saying because Kennedy crushed him in a hug.

That evening after spending the rest of the day with her parents and little brothers Kennedy made her way to her favorite steakhouse in all of DC. That's where she would see her whole family for the first time in months. When she walked into the private back room she was greeted with cheers, applause and a giant banner that read Congratulations Second Lieutenant Gibbs!

The first hour was spent getting hugs and congratulations from her family. It was actually pretty overwhelming, the waves of pride washing over her from those she loved. Even her Uncle Duck got choked up. When things got too heavy Kennedy separated herself from the adults to catch her breath. She had been the first of them to be brought into the orbit of Gibbs' team, which meant the others all looked up to her. She was just handing Kate back her toddler when her brothers came up to them.

"Tell him I'm not lying, Kenz." Mike said in a huff.

Kennedy blinked. "Lying about what?"

"Do you really have a hippo tattoo on your butt?" D.J. asked.

Kennedy snorted. "No." She answered. "It's on my hip."

D.J. blinked.

Kennedy laughed. "It's not my only tat, D.J." She held out her wrists to show the small shamrock on the inside of her left wrist just under her thumb, and a crescent moon in the same place on her right. They were small enough to be easily concealed and even easy to miss unless you looked closely.

Kate looked thoughtful for a moment and then looked at Abby who'd also joined them. "Abby, don't you have a hippo tat on your hip too?"

Abby was still very much Abby. She was still the bright and bubbly Goth who drank too much caffeine and thought Gibbs hung the moon. She was still single and would be the first to say it's because her standards were too high. None of the guys she dated came close to her expectations, her expectations of course being Gibbs. It was the same with the women she dated only those expectations were set by Jenny and Kate. As much as she loved Ziva dating someone like her was a little too scary. And as far as kids went, she'd been looking to her options when it came to adoption, but she just wasn't ready yet. She wasn't even sure if she'd be ready at all, and that was ok with her.

Abby nodded with a beaming smile. "Of course I do. I wasn't going to let my little sister get her first tat and not commemorate the occasion with one of my own."

"Ok, but why a hippo?" D.J. asked.

"Because Bert duh." Abby replied as if that should have been obvious.

Kennedy laughed. "We might have also been a little bit drunk."

"That was an amazing week." Abby said foundly. "I gave an amazing presentation on new ballistic techniques, got to meet Temperance Brennan, and then spent a whole weekend with my little sister."

As Abby continued rambling about the week she spent in London and the weekend that ended with herself and Kennedy getting drunk and tattooed Kate's amused expression quickly shifted to one that was all too familiar, a look of warning that told the two to shut up, but not fast enough to stop Kennedy from saying…

"That was the weekend I discovered I really like gin and absinthe fucks me up." She laughed but then suddenly stopped when she did notice Kate's face. Then she flinched as she sensed the reason for the shift in Kate's expression. "Hi Mom."

Jenny smirked as she stepped up behind her daughter and surrogate daughter. "So, Abigail," She said as she put her arms around the women. "What else did you and my then nineteen year old daughter get up to in London?"

"I think I hear Jamie calling me." Kate said as she quickly escaped.

"Oh look Ellie's here!" Kennedy said as she slipped out from under her mother's arm. "I should go greet my guests."

When they all sat down to dinner the conversations raged around the table until Ellie asked, "Have you gotten your orders yet, Kennedy?"

Kennedy smiled brightly and nodded. "This morning in fact. I report to Newport in two weeks."

That got both Jenny and Jethro's attention and their gazes fell on their daughter once more.

"What's in Newport again?" Tony asked.

"The Naval Justice School." Jenny answered.

"You're going to be a J.A.G officer?" Ducky asked.

Kennedy nodded proudly. "That's the plan, Uncle Duck."

"It's a very good plan, my dear." The old Scot beamed.

Kennedy shot her parents a look, wondering if they felt the same. NCIS and J.A.G weren't known for having the best relationship.

"J.A.G over NCIS, Giblet?" Tony asked. "Are you sure?"

Kennedy laughed. "Yeah, I figure working for General MacKenzie will be a lot easier. I hear your Director is a real hardass."

Jenny laughed hard. "Damn right she is."

Jethro gave his daughter a look that said not only did he approve but was damn proud of her. "Mac's gonna be damn lucky to have you."

"Thanks Dad." Kennedy said softly.

Late that night after everyone had gone to bed Gibbs found his daughter in the stillness of the workshop in the basement of the home he and Jenny had built. He had a gift for her. He didn't say much, he simply handed her the small box. Kennedy didn't say anything either she simply opened it to find a silver flask with her name, the USMC logo, the date, and Simper Fi engraved on it. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.

"Thank you, Daddy." She said softly.

"Be careful out there, Kennedy." He replied as he returned the hug.

"I will be." She promised.

The flask was full. She opened it so they could share a drink and laughed softly when she realised, "That's Mom's favorite bourbon. You've been in her stash."

Gibbs smirked. "I won't tell her if you don't."

"Won't tell me what?" Jenny said from the top of the stairs. Her blue-green eyes shimmering with unshed tears from watching Jethro and their daughter.

Gibbs and his daughter shared a smirk before Kennedy said, "Nothing Mommy."

"Nothing Jen." Gibbs repeated.

Jenny joined them and took the flask. "Like I wouldn't notice." Then took a drink from it after tilting it towards her daughter in a silent toast. "Another Gibbs in the Marines. They don't know what they're in for."

Kennedy laughed.

"Damn lucky." Gibbs said once more as he put his arms around his beloved wife and their little girl.


End file.
